National Republican., 1887-08-30
CHARGES NOT CoNrRovERrED
Picking to Pieces the Commissioners
Tabular Statement.


The following communication in answer
to the District commissioners statement
was carried to the Daily Post for publlca.
tion and declined. As 1t contains much of
interest to the citizens OF this District, room
is made for II In the columns OF this paperi
EDITOR NATIONAL REPUBLICAN: observe
in the IOst Of this date tabular statement
of what purpOrts to be the "receiDts, de
losite, and expenditures OF the water fund
from July /, 1873, to June 30, lSS7,n which
the Post says "ought to efTectualy silence
the grouDdless charges that have been made
and to still the noisy clamor which, ia the
absence of information, was confusing, II
not msleading.n
respectfully beg leave to differ with the
Post In regard to the charges made beug
'groundless." On the contrary, assert
that they rest on evidence that cannot be
cOntrovefted. No one that know of denie,
that the accounts OF the water department
that are sent to the treasury balance.
certainly have made no such statement. 1t
s what Ia not sent to the treasury that the
people, as well as the treasury officials,
would like to see explained.
This account, like the one made few
days ago, is simply a fraud upon the pub.
lie A mass of figures thrown out to be
wilder and confuse. Take the column OF
expenditures under the head OF "labor aui
repairs.h The gentleman that made out
this statement informs me that under the
head Of "labor and repairs is included the
laying OF new water mains, including cost
of pipe, which is paid by assessment, aud
the repairs of old mains, which are payable
out OF water rents, likewise the setting OF
IRE plugs and hydrants and the repair OF
thc same, as well as the pumping expenses
hese ate all iumbled up under the head Of
"iahCr and repairsn We have been trying
for months to get statement of the cost
Of LAYING water maius with the assessments
'or the same. This should be very easy IN
formation to furnish. Why do not the
commissioners furnish itP IL there were
nothing wrong In the water Office, 1t seems
to me one OF the frat things they would do
would be to give this Information that has
so many times been called for. Tue re
rtipts from water m sin taxes during those
nine years arc given at only 1921 ,0Oj ~
and much OF this Is for interest and colle,-
lions from the amount In arrears In 1873,
While the expenditures under the head Of
'labOr and repairs" are given at Sji6, ,5ll.72.
Now, | ask, what opportunity has the
Treasury Department to know whether
these expenditures are honestly made, or
the water main tax honestly assessed aud
collected2
The Treasury Department simply acts.as
no more about the business at the District
building than a bank knows about the
private business Of its depositors. To act
'ntvllgently IN this matter, the Treasury
Department must go through the books aud
audit the accounts Of the District govern
mcnt. Not only this, but IN order t) know
whether the water olilcic is honestly con-
ducted, 1t must know the actual cost OF the
water mains laid, when laid, and the nun.
Der Of square feet assessible to pay the cost
of the same, and see that the assessments
are honestly made. Until this is done,
what farce 1t Is to say that no fraud cin
he committed in the water dep irtment
without the connivance OF numerous
treasury officials" In saving this bat
quote the words of a treasury Off ;ial made
tn the undersigned less than two months
ago.
The reseipts from water rents foC the year
ending Juue 30, 1857, are giveH at Sl3S,-
5i0I9. How does the Treasury Depart
ment know that no more was received for
water rents that year or that thousands Of
dollars may not be standing on the hooks
against favofites who may not be called
upon to pay their water rents? The water
takeis have increased steadily from one to
two thousand per year for several years,
with no year for the past fifteen that the
increase has not been over six hundred per
year, adding from three to twelve thousand
per year to the water rents. On the bot.
tom Of every water rent bill Is printed the
words, THE law requires that II this water
rent be not paid on or before Aug. |, 1897,
the water be cut OFF from the premises and
not restored until the rent, costs, aud pen
atty are paid. This law Is mandatory an
admits Of no discretion" Now, IN view OF
this, would like to have 1t explained why
the water rents deposited In the treasury for
tie year 1852 were 81 ,9S4.5S less than for the
y,ar previous. There were COS taps m ide
that year, which should have brought In an
Increased revenue of over s3,GOJ
Again, for the year ending June 3O
1855, the amount deposited in the
,riSsury for water rents was 81, ,l9l,2S less
than for the yer ending June 80, 1SSi
That year there was made 1,l5t taps
which should have brought In an Increased
r. venue OF over $4,000 This proves one
Of two things: either gross favoritlsm was
shown those years In the collection OF
water rents or esc Il large sum OF money
eGs stolen. or what use Is IT to ask the
treasury oiiicials to explain this? How
can they know anything about IL without
,eng The bOoksG | asked Mr.. Petty, the
accomplished accouutlnt who made out
this tabular sta emcnt, to explain 1t, and
he confessed that he was unable to do so
In August 1855, the Rev. james SIC
Larcn applied tn the commissioners for II
uNCI lIldlu tIl ~ StTttt, UtLNtCH IlTot anu
second streets northeast, where he was
building four houses. His request was not
| only refused, hut permission to lay a main
| at his own expense was refused until he
paid $NG.9S which II was claimed would be
| The amount Of the assessment for q main II
laid by the corporation. lie paid the
amount under protest which Is shown by
| The check given, which has the pams of
"JChn i. Cook, collector" on the back Of H..
| The main cost, as shownb the hill befor @
me- just SOS, all Of which Mr.. McLlreu paid
| out of his own pocket, the com missioners
| holding on to the $96.0S paid under protest,
which they hold to this day. And now
| comes the crOwning act Of infimy in this
| job. On June ~, 1887, Capt. Symonds
| sends Mr.. McLareu a bill for fGS SO for this
Of 1858, and which for the privIlel re of LAYING
the commissioners still holl 500 % Of his
money, and accompanies the bill with q
threat that II not paid the water will be
shut Off from his house. VIII you please
| explain how The treasury officials can know
| anytbing about this transaction? what
| has become Of the S9G.9S wrung from Mr..
| McLaren for The privilege of laying LITTLE
| 2-inch main at his own eXpensey IF ever
deposited in the treasury to what fund is II
| ere Gited
These are questions that 1t would be we'll
to have answered before this discussion Is
| ended. j. H. CRANE.
Aro. 81, 1887.
SUMNER RATES for advertisements of Wants
For Rent, and For Sale Of two lines times